The entrances are done, and the crowd have been introduced by Laura Watts to the two men that are now standing in the ring; Dante Cross and Minkaro. This match will effect both men’s standings on the World Championship Tournament, a tournament that commenced at Revolutionary Wars, where Dante Cross competed against Evan Flare – losing that match to place him on -1 points. Minkaro, having missed the Pay-Per-View due to reading the wrong calendar is on 0 points. A victory is therefore imperative for both men, as one of them needs to turn around his fortunes quickly, and the other is playing catch-up. It must also be remembered that this will be the first time that these two have ever competed in a wrestling ring, and so they will both want to take this initial opportunity to prove that they are the better of the two. The final twist in the tale is that Minkaro is making his in-ring return after departing the company after Vendetta 50, four months ago. The referee checks both men for any hidden weaponry, and finding none signals for the bell to start the match.
DING DING DING
The excitement of the crowd as they hear the bell is offset somewhat by the comparatively calm demeanour of the two men who are actually in the contest, as they begin to methodically circle each other, neither one of them in a hurry to make the first move. Two pairs of eyes dart up and down in search of an opening, or better yet a sign of weakness, perhaps an injury picked up in a previous contest that they can take advantage of. As Dante looks down towards Minkaro’s legs to check for a limp, a strand of hair drops down over his eye. Of course, this doesn’t blind him, far from it in fact, but it does distract him enough that he feels the need to flick his head backwards in order to remove the rogue hairs from his vision. In doing so, he unwittingly opens up an opportunity for Minkaro to move, which the Shrewsbury native wastes no time in taking. Dashing forwards, Minkaro ducks underneath a too late swinging fist from Cross, and powers him towards the side of the ring and into the ropes. Immediately Dante calls for the referee to separate him and Minkaro, taking advantage of the rope break that he has been given. As Minkaro obeys the referee’s instruction to back away, Dante pushes himself off the ropes and connects with a Big Boot to the side of Minkaro’s head, only failing in his attempt to catch him flush in the face due to Minkaro managing to turn away just in the nick of time. Whilst a Big Boot from a 205lb man may not have the power behind it that can be granted by one of the larger men that typically utilise the move, it still hurts, and it still dazes. With Minkaro handily doubled over, Dante wraps his arm around the neck in a basic Headlock.
Adam Dennis: Yeah! Dante’s got him now. This is no normal Headlock, it’s actually a Ecuadorian Death Grip, and as far as I’m aware nobody has survived it yet.
Ted Cedar: It’s definitely a Headlock, folks. When they invent a way to mute just one commentator, I’ll be sure to let you all know.
As any wrestling fan knows, the Headlock is a move not designed to cause tremendous amounts of pain, but to wear down an already weakened opponent. As this match is in its infancy, Minkaro cannot be called a weakened opponent just yet, and he displays this by wrapping his arms around the waist of Cross and lifting him into the air. A furiously kicking Dante Cross manages to wriggle out of Minkaro’s hold before he can be hit with any kind of Suplex, landing on his feet in front of his rival for tonight. Utilising his impressive speed, Dante Cross rushes to the ropes, bouncing off them to propel himself into Minkaro with a Shoulder Block. This knocks Minkaro backwards, but not down and the Bionic Technician gives Dante a look that clearly says “just you try that again.” So he does. Throwing some extra force behind the second Shoulder Block, Dante is able to knock Minkaro back an extra couple of steps, but still not off his feet. A smile now on his face, as he is not used to having a power advantage and is determined to enjoy himself, Minkaro this time goes one step further, and actually points towards the ropes to invite Dante to try again. Again Dante accepts the invitation, bouncing off the ropes and towards Minkaro. This time, rather than hitting him head on, Dante actually slams the brakes on in front of Minkaro, whose look of surprise quickly vanishes when Dante slaps him firmly across the face.
Ted Cedar: Ouch! Did you hear that? I’m just glad I didn’t have to feel it!
Adam Dennis: Don’t speak too soon. I’m sure there’ll be somebody around here willing to give you a demonstration.
Ducking and tilting his head to one side to avoid the retaliation swing, Cross swings a leg out to catch Minkaro in the gut, doubling him over. Before he can straighten, Dante grabs hold of the waist of his tights, and with the other hand grabs a hold of his hair, before wheeling him around and driving him shoulder first into the steel ringpost. Like Minkaro before him, Dante is now instructed by the referee to allow his opponent away from the ropes. Unlike Minkaro before him, Dante completely ignores these orders and grabs hold of Minkaro’s legs, wrapping them around his own waist in a Wheelbarrow position. From here, Dante drags Minkaro out of the corner of the ring before swinging him around, as though he were going for a Wheelbarrow Facebuster. Rather than the Englishman’s face hitting the canvas though, Dante has executed the move so that Minkaro’s upper body actually swings through the top and middle ropes, so that when he drops him his stomach drops down onto the middle rope, leaving him gasping for air. Of course, Minkaro cannot balance on the middle rope like this, and so he topples forwards, landing in a wheezing heap on the outside of the ring.
Adam Dennis: Did you see that? That’s the kind of innovative offense that proves that Dante Cross is the best wrestler in the ring right now!
Ted Cedar: He’s…the only wrestler in the ring right now.
Adam Dennis: Shut up.
Without even bothering to look to see if Minkaro has moved, Dante rolls underneath the bottom rope on an adjacent side of the ring, sauntering casually around to find that a still winded Minkaro has crawled to the announce table, and is now trying to use it to pull himself to his feet. Any oxygen that Minkaro has managed to gather back into his lungs is quickly expelled by a sharp kick to the ribs from Dante that sends Minkaro rolling along the floor. With a look of exasperation at the referee’s commands to get the action back into the ring, Dante half-slides into the squared circle in order to reset the count, before slithering out once more, eyes locking back onto Minkaro, who is now sitting leaning against the steel steps, clutching at his side. With a shout of triumph, Dante charges at full speed towards The Last Rock and Roll Star, only to be thwarted in his attempts to finish off the match (and probably put Minkaro right back on the shelf) by a not quite as injured as previously thought Minkaro managing to push himself forwards into a crouching position, before diving feet-first at Dante Cross’ shins almost as though he were going for a slide tackle in football. The soles of Minkaro’s boots collide with Dante’s ankles, causing The Fallen One to become The Falling One as he plummets, smashing headfirst into the steel steps with a sickening thud.
Ted Cedar: Oh my God! Dante could be out cold after that!
Adam Dennis: His face! I’m pretty sure there’s an indent of it in the steel steps now! This is terrible!
Most people watching the match would likely understand it if Minkaro decided to leave his opponent where he lay, and accept victory via count-out. However, Minkaro is one of those wrestlers who likes his victories to come from pinfall or submission – decisive wins. He also has the added incentive of three points on the XWA World Championship tournament to give impetus to his efforts to get Dante back into the ring. Cross is simply dead weight at this point, meaning that Minkaro is really having to struggle to lift him up and slide him back into the ring. Eventually he manages to do so, and stands panting with his hands on his hips, and a look of surprise at how difficult it was on his face. A different look of surprise appears, and a high-pitched scream emerges from his mouth as he hears the referee shout “nine!” prompting him to dive back into the ring. Inside the ring, he drags the seemingly lifeless body of the one-time XWA Pure Champion into the centre of the ring, where he turns his back on him, taking a second to raise his hand with index and pinky fingers extended in the Sign of the Horns. This cues a cheer for the fans, before he somersaults backwards into a Standing Moonsault, landing stomach-first on Dante’s knees, as the Crucifixionist has had plenty of time to recover during the time that Minkaro spent struggling to get him into the ring. Once again Minkaro finds himself clutching at aching ribs, kneeling just inches away from a now rising Dante Cross, who swiftly approaches Minkaro, grabbing his arm as though about to attempt an Armbar, but instead choosing to flip over him into the pin known as The Magistral Cradle. One…two…and Minkaro manages to wriggle free.
Adam Dennis: Ha! Did you see Dante tricking Minkaro then? Minkaro was all “look at me doing flippy stuff” and then Dante was all “KNEES TO THE STOMACH.” Brilliant.
Ted Cedar: This, ladies and gentlemen, is what passes for colour commentary in these parts.
Just as they started the match, the two combatants stand looking carefully at one another, again searching for a sign of weakness. Unlike the beginning of the contest, there are now clear kinks in their armour. On one side of the ring, Minkaro is doubled over slightly, an indicator of the punishment that his ribs have taken. On the other, Dante continuously shakes his head, clearly still suffering the after effects of headbutting the steel steps earlier. Evidently deciding to forgo such silliness as locking up, or doing actual wrestling moves, the two men step towards each other, and begin to take turns punching each other really hard in the face. Each punch connects with a smacking sound that is heard throughout the arena, knocking the recipient’s head to one side. Each punch is met with a smirk that says “my turn” and one in reply. This is obviously the audience participation part of the match, as the crowd in the Richmond Coliseum bellows “YEAH” or “BOO” in unison with the punches, dependant on who is throwing them at the time.
Ted Cedar: The crowd are certainly making their feelings known here, and why shouldn’t they?
Adam Dennis: Because they’re Virginians. Anyway, how can you insult my commentary when you come up with that bullshit? “The crowd are making their feelings known,” anyone sitting at home can hear that, unless they’re deaf, and if they are deaf then they can’t hear you anyway! Just sit there stating the obvious why don’t you? I’m lucky I don’t have to hear you commentating on the football when I get the chance to watch that. That’d be fun, having to hear you going “and the man runs…and he throws the ball…”…
Because of his head injury, Dante’s punches gradually seem to be losing their power in comparison to Minkaro’s, and the Metal Machine’s punches seem to be doing more and more damage. Realising this, Dante knows that he must break the chain of punches whilst he can still stand. After receiving another blow to the head he does not reply with one of his own, instead choosing to swing his foot around towards Minkaro’s skull. The kick is understandably sluggish, and Minkaro is able to duck underneath it, but is unable to avoid the real intention behind Dante’s new method of attack: a second spinning kick that he calls the Return to Sin Kick. Minkaro’s response to this is to stand, blinking slowly for a few seconds, before toppling forwards to the canvas. Moving as quickly as he can, Dante crawls across the ring to make the cover. One…two…no! Minkaro’s shoulder comes up as the referee’s hand is halfway down on its final descent. The look of disbelief on Minkaro’s face as he sits up, clearly having kicked out purely on instinct, is almost as vivid as that on Dante’s.
Adam Dennis: …and one more thing, if you ever question my commen…wait, Minkaro kicked out of that?
Ted Cedar: Oh, it’s my turn to speak now? Minkaro is showing impressive resilience here.
Adam Dennis: I thought I knew hatred, but you have introduced me to levels of it I never knew existed.
Grabbing the wrist of his opponent, Cross whips Minkaro forcefully into the corner of the ring, before charging towards him and ramming both of his feet into the chest in a Missile Dropkick. The impact of this causes Minkaro to stagger out of the corner, allowing Dante to hit a back-handed slap across the face as he returns to his feet, dazing the former XWA International Champion. Noticing that he has Minkaro near the edge of the ring, Dante shakes his head in the hopes of clearing it of cobwebs long enough to successfully execute whatever move he has in mind, and grabs hold of the top rope and uses it to propel himself upwards, springboarding off the middle rope into a backflip over Minkaro as he looks for his signature DDC…over Minkaro, The Crucifixionist realises too late that Minkaro is no longer where he left him, having darted forwards underneath the airborne athlete. By the time Dante Cross has become aware of where his opponent is, Minkaro has rebounded off the ropes and thudded into the unfortunate Cross with a Spear. The referee drops down as the cover is made…one…two…three! Minkaro has won his return match!
Ted Cedar: What a match! A tremendous effort by both men, but it’s Minkaro who comes out the victor here. Three points on the leaderboard for him!
Adan Dennis: He shouldn’t even be allowed on the leaderboard. He turned up late! How can he be rewarded for that?
Subject: Minkaro vs. Dante Cross 
